White House pushes back on Netanyahu claims, says it's 'perplexed' by cancellation of Israeli visit

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The White House pushed back Monday on criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he accused the US of changing its policy on Gaza, saying his office is "choosing to create a perception of daylight" between Washington and Tel Aviv.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the Biden administration is "kind of perplexed by" Netanyahu's decision to cancel a planned Israeli delegation's visit to Washington to discuss alternatives to an invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah in retaliation for the US abstaining from a UN Security Council vote on a cease-fire resolution.

Kirby maintained that the US decision not to exercise its veto is consistent with long-standing Gaza policy.

"It does not represent a change at all in our policy. It's very consistent with everything that we've been saying we want to get done here. And we get to decide what our policy is. The prime minister's office seems to be indicating through public statements that we somehow changed here. We haven't," he told reporters at the White House.

"It seems like the prime minister's office is choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don't need to do that," he added.

A statement by Netanyahu's office said the US decision to allow the resolution to pass was "a clear retreat from the consistent US position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war." The Israeli premier earlier threatened to cancel his delegation’s visit to Washington if the US failed to veto the resolution.

The delegation was scheduled to visit Washington early this week to hear US proposals for expanded humanitarian aid in Gaza, as well as alternatives to Israel's planned ground invasion of Rafah.

Earlier Monday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on March 11 and is set to end on April 9.

All the members except one, the US, voted for the resolution. The Biden administration chose not to vote against it, which would automatically be a veto, and instead abstained.

The resolution called for an "immediate cease-fire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire."

It also demanded the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs."

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed. More than 32,000 Palestinians have since been killed, and nearly 74,700 injured, amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities that have put Gaza on the cusp of famine.

The Israeli war, now in its 171st day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.